waiting hours in line to get kids tested child hospitalizations soaring. dr. jha is here answering your questions. also tonight, the major winter storm hitting the east coast. thousands of flights canceled just as many are returning home from the holidays. cars stranded on the highway. heavy snow shutting down washington, d.c president biden stuck on air force one for nearly 30 minutes. we're tracking it all. just in, the verdict in the elizabeth holmes trial after the jury said it was deadlocked on multiple counts. the desperate search for the missing after that colorado wild fire destroyed nearly a thousand homes. why investigators are focussing on this piece of video at&t and verizon rejecting a plea to delay their 5g launch. why airlines have big concerns and the eagle eyed hockey fan what she spotted during the game that saved a life

this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. good evening no image tells us more about the state we are in with covid right now more clearly than the latest map of places with community transmissions. places where the virus is spreading locally they're highlighted in red. yes, it is the entire country. while it appears there is no outrunning this virus, this evening, there are new efforts to keep pace the fda okaying boosters for kids age 12 to 15 also shortening the booster wait time for many others. as we return from holiday breaks, it feels like the world is on rewind schools wrestling once more with how to safely teach our children, while travelers struggle to get home in the face of covid-related flight delays. their burden made worse by a major eastern snowstorm. we have it all covered tonight starting with stephanie gosk. >> reporter: with covid cases soaring to record levels, an uneasy return to schools, even though more vaccine protection could soon be available today the fda

authorized a pfizer booster for children aged 12 to 15, at least five months after completing their initial vaccination. children ages 5 to 11 with compromised immune systems could be eligible for third doses. the cdc is expected to sign off on the changes wednesday. while schools facing the highly contagious but apparently less severe omicron variant are instituting a patchwork of policies to get kids back into classrooms safely. cleveland and atlanta schools are remote for the week other places delayed a return to class so children could be tested in new york city, school doors swung open this morning. officials urging families to get the children tested. >> we're not in a good place. i'm going to be honest with you this is the winter surge we predicted. >> reporter: the new york governor placing an emphasis on keeping schools open. >> the question is how do parents get these -- these very rare test kits that you always see the lines for? we're going to put them in your hands. we're going to put them in the kids'

backpacks. >> reporter: but they aren't there yet she waited two hours to get her 11-year-old tested. >> there should be a more efficient and streamlined process. >> reporter: it is a similar story nationwide rapid tests are hard to find in stores. people are sitting for hours in their cars for pcr tests. the results sometimes taking days. as concerns grow over record numbers of children being admitted to the hospital with covid. but at least some of those cases are children being treated for other conditions, who happened to test positive for the virus. it is unclear if the number of severe covid cases in children is on the rise. >> what we're going to need to do is make sure that those children who can be vaccinated are vaccinated, that children wear masks while they're in school to protect themselves and to protect each other. >> reporter: the cdc is also taking another look at its controversial guidance to decrease quarantine from 10 to 5 days without a negative test. >> testing could be a part of that i think we will be hearing more about

that in the next day or two from the cdc. >> reporter: potentially adding demand for tests that are already tough to get your hands on. >> and, stephanie, for kids who have returned to the classroom, what is being done to prevent outbreaks? >> reporter: well, lester, here in new york when one or more students in the same class test positive for covid, instead of quarantining the whole class, they will test them home with rapid tests. and anyone that tests negative can come in the next day, lester >> stephanie, thank you. just a short time ago, i spoke with dr. ashish jha dean of the brown university school of public health. i asked him if he thinks we're ultimately all going to be infected with this omicron variant. >> i don't think we're all going to be infected many americans are, but there is a lot we can do to protect ourselves. and my hope is that a vast majority of americans don't end up infected with this variant. >> is omicron going to push delta out of the picture? and would that be a good thing >> we don't know we did see it push delta out in south africa

in the u.k., the data is not totally clear yet. it looks like it's suppressing data if it ends up pushing delta out, it would be terrific because all the data so far suggests that omicron is a milder version. and, obviously, if we're going to have a virus circulating around, i'd rather have a milder version circulating around. >> and is there anything here that suggests that omicron might be the beginning of the end >> well, i sure hope so i mean, i do think a lot of americans will end up getting infected now, obviously, we have a good chunk of americans also vaccinated that means if there are future variants that they will impact us less because we have so much immunity in our population. that's how the pandemic comes to an end. and that's what i'm hoping we're looking forward to >> it's a mixed bag of how well we have learned lessons in all this the testing crisis that we're witnessing, do you think that we will learn that lesson in case of the next variant? >> i sure hope so. i remember back in march of 2020 saying we need a lot more testing than we have here we are january of 2022 and i'm still saying we need a lot

more tests i think the administration has seen the testing crisis and hopefully will get its act together on making testing widely available for americans. that's going to be a key part of managing this pandemic for months and really years to come. >> our thanks to dr. jha. as we have seen, this covid explosion has hit the airlines hard and today so did that big winter storm that caused more mass cancellations and frustration for travelers, many still trying to get home here's tom costello. >> reporter: adding more misery to weary and stranded travelers coming back from the holidays, a massive storm stretching from the deep south, florida and alabama to the nation's capital in the bull's eye today, hit with up to a foot of snow air force one returning to joint base andrews in virtual white-out conditions the president emerging from the plane in a blinding snowstorm in the i-95 corridor thousands of cars stranded and struck. accidents and power outages. amtrak also affected at the center of the bull's eye, reagan national airport, topping the list of most affected airports today, 84% of departures canceled. >> i've been here since 7:00 i have been delayed three times and then canceled.

>> reporter: today's storm the latest blow to airlines and hundreds of thousands of holiday passengers. since christmas eve, more than 18,000 flights canceled hit hard by airline and tsa staffers calling out sick with covid. then a series of winter storms. today alone, 3,000 flights canceled here at reagan airport, the snow coming down so heavily, they had to close the main runway for plowing at 8:00 a.m. thousands of passengers stuck >> i'm trying to fly back home. i have been out since 3:00 in the morning this morning, and my flight got changed twice. >> reporter: the cancellations rippling across the country from chicago o'hare to fort lauderdale where andrea and her kids have been trying to get to detroit since friday. >> we had to stay an extra couple days and hotels are outrageous on new year's eve, so we were kind of >> the airline

industry has been understaffed for months, even before this later surge with covid going back to the summer. >> so, tom, how are thing looking for tomorrow air travel-wise? >> reporter: so far >> reporter: while it truly has been a perfect series of storms for the airlines, consumer advocates say the airlines also bear some blame. >> the airline industry has been understaffed for months, even before this latest surge with covid going back to the summer. there is some breaking news in the trial of theranos founder elizabeth holmes the verdict comes in moments ago. after the jury told the judge it was deadlocked on multiple counts we get more now from erin mclaughlin. >> reporter: elizabeth holmes once celebrated as an entrepreneur set to revolutionize medical testing leaves tonight a medical felon. a jury found the 37-year-old guilty o four counts of federal fraud, acquitting her of three others, while deadlocking on the

three remaining charges. after the prosecution alleged she conned investors and patients into believing her blood testing start-up could perform hundreds of diagnostic tests with just the pick of a finger >> it is a big deal for silicone valley because you fake it until you make it. i don't think they're going to be living by that anymore. >> reporter: fooling some of the world's most powerful to invest millions of dollars. as well as patients that testified they received faulty test results. >> it was witness after witness telling us, corroborating the same statements, the misrepresentations that she made. >> reporter: the closely watched trial the subject of podcasts, books and an upcoming series, lasted for more than three months the prosecution repeatedly alleging out of time and out of money, elizabeth holmes decided to lie. she chose fraud over business failure she chose to be dishonest. the prosecutor told the jury, that choice was not only callus, it was criminal. during the trial, holmes took the stand. she acknowledged there was some things she wished she had done differently, while arguing her investments focussed on the future.

they weren't interested in today or tomorrow or next month, she said. they were interested in what kind of change we could make. tonight the woman was hailed as the next steve jobs faces jail time holmes was stoic as the verdict was read out. she hugged her parents before leaving the courtroom. she faces up to 20 years in prison for each guilty count. lester >> erin, thank you. in just 60 seconds, a desperate search in colorado days after that devastating fire. and one year after january 6th, we'll look at how some there that day are now focussing their efforts closer to home and a high risk for frac, now might not be the best time to ask yourself... 'are my bones strong?' life is full of make or break moments. that's why it's so important to help reduce your risk of fracture with prolia®. only prolia® is proven to help strengthen and protect bones from fracture with 1 shot every 6 months. do not take prolia® if you have low blood calcium, are pregnant, are allergic to it, or take xgeva®.

serious allergic reactions like low blood pressure, trouble breathing, throat tightness, face, lip, or tongue swelling, rash, itching, or hives have happened. tell your doctor about dental problems, as severe jaw bone problems may happen, or new or unusual pain in your hip, groin, or thigh, as unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred. speak to your doctor before stopping, skipping, or delaying prolia®, as spine and other bone fractures have occurred. prolia® can cause serious side effects, like low blood calcium, serious infections, which could need hospitalization, skin problems and severe bone, joint, or muscle pain. don't wait for a break. call your doctor now and ask how prolia® can help you. get people on their way, lester. >> that will be great. in colorado a desperate search goes on tonight for people who might be caught in that devastating fire that swept through neighborhoods near boulder. emilie ikeda has the latest >> reporter: tonight an urgent search for two people missing since the marshal fire swallowed entire neighborhoods in colorado but officials fear a grim outcome their homes now ash.

>> we are actively working at two scenes. it is very, very difficult work >> reporter: the monstrous marshall fire burned into the memories of residents. flames en gls gulfed the length of football fields within seconds. some barely escaped the hellscape and now face a painful recovery ahead. >> it's killing me that we can't be there for him. >> reporter: her father in the hospital after family saw him driving a neighbor out of the burn zone to put himself at risk to help someone else, does this sound characteristic of your dad? >> very much so. if he sees somebody who needs help, he's going to help. >> reporter: the aftermath apocalyptic. nearly 1,000 homes reduced to rubble. another 100 damaged. >> there isn't going to be a kid that doesn't know someone that's lost everything >> reporter: the sheriff has pointed to the area near marshall road and highway 93 as a possible origin of the devastating fire that consumed more

than 6,000 acres numerous witnesses first spotting flames at a shed near there, quickly picked up by hurricane force winds. >> in the video the smoke was very light and then it just progressed so fast. >> reporter: investigators say it is too early to tell whether the shed was the exact ignition point. sheriffs deputies executing a search warrant over the weekend, but won't say where. >> we haven't eliminated or honed in on any one specific thing. it's an open investigation. >> reporter: while snow helped nearly extinguish the marshall fire, it is now a challenge for investigators who are trying to uncover evidence around the cause of the blaze and, lester, there is more snow on the way. also tonight, new subpoenas have been issued for ivanka trump and donald trump jr new york attorney general letitia james wants their testimony and documents as part of her civil tax fraud investigation into the trump organization james also wants to depose former president trump. trump has blasted the investigation by the democratic attorney general as politically

motivated. and this week marks one year since a mob of trump supporters stormed the u.s. capital in the time since the january 6th riot, domestic extremists have shifted strategies brandy explains how in our series state of extremism. >> stop the steal! stop the steal stop the steal >> reporter: january 6th, 2021, crowds marched to the u.s. capital building throngs of people grew into thousands denise aguilar posted to social media that day saying she was there. >> the revolution is here, guys we stormed the capital, and patriots broke open the doors >> reporter: aguilar later said she never breached the building, nor participated in violence and since then she's taken her fight back home. >> it's all about local legislation, your local school districts, your city council, board of supervisors, so it kicked off this national movement that

it is now parents are realizing we need to start coming to the local government. >> reporter: her shift is part of a broader trend, according to jared holt, who studies domestic extremism at the nonpartisan think tank the atlantic council >> domestic extremism is really a fluid that matches the container that it's in at any given moment >> reporter: in a new report, holt says that following backlash and hundreds of arrest connected to the attack on the capital, far right activists have shifted their focus from national politics to local. >> a lot of the adaptations that we have seen came in the form of kind of decentralizing these national movements. >> reporter: what are these extremists all talking about at the local level? what is the content? >> a lot of them are taking it upon themselves to re-engage in the broader conservative culture war. >> we are here to protect the children of our community. >> reporter: for aguilar, who we met outside a local school board meeting in california, it's opposition to mandates. >> we figured out that going to the capital

and working that particular piece doesn't do anything because these legislators have already made up their mind. >> reporter: she is a founder of a group called mamalitia and says her activism is peaceful. >> do we look violent to you do we look like we're trying to storm any place? have i ever done anything violent in the capital? absolutely not. >> reporter: like many who share her goals, aguilar uses alternative social media platforms like telegram to organize and strategize those go local tactics also being embraced by prominent white nationalists. >> this is the right approach going to the school board meetings, going out to protests. >> reporter: groups like the proud boys responding taking to the streets of towns in long island and north carolina to protest public health measures. >> extremist groups have always seen the culture wars as a place that has enough anger and division already that it can be fruitful for them. >> reporter: are we in a better place now than we were on january 5th of last

year >> i do think there have been some reassuring signs, but the undercurrents and the conditions that, you know, led to january 6th, this popularization of conspiracy theories, of extreme sentiments and ideologies is maybe more pernicious than it was last year. >> reporter: and with the focus off the nation's capital for now, the impact of that extremism can be felt anywhere. brandy zadrozny, nbc news, washington. up next, that battle over 5g the new warning that it could cause more air travel delays days from now oh! there's my little nephew. he looks more like dad every time i see him. -dad is old. -right. so, your message said you wanted to talk about insurance? i said, "i want you to talk about insurance." well, most people know that bundling home and auto -saves you money. -keep saying your words. but did you know that new customers who bundle and save with progressive can save an average of $800? shh. sleeping baby.

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airline and transportation officials are warning of possible widespread disruptions after verizon and at&t rejected requests to delay this week's start of 5g cellular service. airlines say the signals could interfere with the plane's electronics. here's kerry sanders >> reporter: tonight it's an unknown when at&t and verizon's 5g phone towers go live on wednesday will those signals interfere with the critical instrument in a plane's cockpit called a radio altimeter, which tells pilots the distance the plane is from the ground, crucial during landings, especially in bad weather the secretary of transportation warning if 5g goes live wednesday, it will result in widespread and unacceptable disruptions as airplanes divert to other cities where flights are canceled

both at&t and verizon say they plan to throw the switch wednesday writing to the faa 5g and aviation already coexist in nearly 40 other countries. though for the next six months they would agree to fade or decrease 5g signals around some airports to give the faa a plane manufacturers time to determine if interference is simply theoretical or indeed real. >> they're testing the airplanes about as rapidly as they can. all we need to do is give them time to find out which devices are susceptible. >> reporter: if you have 5g on your phone, that is not the signal that's in question plus, engineers say it is not the phone that causes the potential problem. it's the towers. lester >> a lot of folks holding their breath on this. kerry, thank you. up next, the life-saving move by an observant hockey fan their emotional reunion. thanks. up next, the

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>> finally tonight, she saw something and found a way to say something. a hockey fan who noticed a serious medical issue with a team manager here's kevin tibbles >> reporter: the biggest save of the game saved a life. watching the nhl seattle kraken play the vancouver canucks, 22-year-old nadia papavich spotted something suspicious. on canucks' equipment manager greg hamilton's neck. >> i was so lucky to

be sitting so close that i could see in detail his mole. and i noticed that it was discolored it was raised. >> reporter: nadia, a future med student, had to warn him to see a doctor so she crafted a message on her phone. >> i knocked really hard, and i pointed and i kind of smiled to make it seem like i was friendly and -- and then he stood up and looked at it, read it for a second and then walked away >> i glanced at it i acknowledged that i saw it, but i just kept going i did not know there was a mole on my neck. >> reporter: red may have been skeptical, but he took her advice, and it was cancerous melanoma did the doctors say what would have happened had you never noticed it >> he said if you had left that in your body for five years, you probably wouldn't be here. >> reporter: then the search to say thank you began. and nadia and red had a reunion. >> nadia, the kraken and the canucks cannot thank you enough. >> reporter: she was giving a standing o the next time the canucks and kraken met.

the two teams even came together creating a $10,000 scholarship to help with nadia's studies. >> we know you're going to make a phenomenal doctor. she's going to look at you and say here's a guy whose life i saved. >> 100%. and i'm going to look at her and say, there's the woman who saved my life. >> reporter: kevin tibbles, nbc news. >> now that's what you call a super fan that's "nightly news" for this monday. thank you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night

good evening. this is nbc bay area news tonight. i'm raj mathai. it's the first monday of the new year. it's supposed to be filled with optimism. nowadays that's challenging to come by. but we remain optimistic. thanks for joining us tonight. a lot of big headlines at this hour. we finally have a verdict in san jose. elizabeth holmes guilty on 4 of the 11 counts against her. it comes after months of testimony and seven days of deliberations stretched over the holidays from that jury. take a look. elizabeth holmes leaving the federal courthouse. this was just about 90 minutes ago. she walked out hand in hand, like she usually does with her mother and her partner. but she said nothing to the dozens of reporters and onlookers